Swimming trainer



Jan. 2, 1951 J. J. PoBocHENKo SWIMMING TRAINER Filed NOV. 25, 1949 1NVENTOR.

Patented Jan. 2, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

The present invention comprises a swimming trainer for association in use with either the feet or the hands of a swimmer and which may be readily positioned by the swimmer to act ein ther as a planing iloat or as a drag to resist movement through the water, the device thus functioning as a means to develop swimming muscles and stamina. One object of the present invention is to provide a device which may be used by persons of widely varying physical characteristics and may be adapted by the user to numerous uses as a swimming trainer device.

One object of the present invention is to provide a device which may be readily associated with the feet of the user and which may, by controlling the disposition of the trainer relative to the surface of the water, act as a drag to prevent rapid forward movement whereby chest, shoulder and arm muscles may be developed and whereby an instructor may easily keep up with the progress of the swimmer along the sides of a tank and coach him in the fundamentals of rhythm, breathing, arm and hand control, or the like. By the Same token, the swimming trainer may be used as a drag when placed upon the hands of the user toaid the development of leg and thigh muscles while an instructor may follow his prog ress and coach him'in the fundamentals of proper breathing and use of the legs.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device which mayenable a swim mer to control his speed of movement through the water in order that he may further develop his muscles, coordination and swimming ability by traveling at a relatively high speed while the extremities other thanA those in use as the means of propulsion are prevented from relative movement, thus enabling the swimmer to concentrate upon one phase of development at a time and aiding an instructor to correct faults which may be preventing maximum speed.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a training aid of the character described which may be used as a cushion upon which the swimmer may seat himself while resting between periods of training, or which may be used as a life-saving aid to keep exhausted swimmers aiioat while waiting for assistance.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character described which may have associated therewith a belt or the like whereby the device may be strapped to the body of the swimmer for use as a life preserver or so-called water wings, particularly by children just learning to swim.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character described which is easily formed of durable, inexpensive material; hence may be purchased in suicient quantities by schools and other organizations for use in training large classes of swimmers.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a swimming trainer of the character described which eliminates objectionable features oi devices which have heretofore been used for swimming trainers. Many swimming in'- structors may require students to grip a cushion or the like between the knees and thighs in order that the legs may be immobilized. The action of gripping is very diicult and the resulting strain soon overtires the swimmer. Further than that, the gripping action calls into play muscles which are not otherwise needed and may result in throwing into tension other muscles which should ce relaxed for development as rquired in swimming. The present invention permits th leg muscles to remain entirely relaxed, yet inirrobilizes the legs so that the swimmer may concentrate upon arm movements.

The foregoing and other objectsv and advantages of the present invention will be more readily ascertained from inspection of the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, while the features of novelty will be more distinctly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the present invention showing the feet of a user associated therewith in dash outline;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation taken from a longitudinal dge of the device;

Fig. 3 is an illustration of a swimmer using the trainer in association with his feet; and

Fig. 4 is a similar illustration showing the trainer in association with the hands of a swimmer.

The swimming trainer comprises an inatable, y

.of `air under pressure, such as rubber, rubberized fabric, flexible plastic or the like. Preferably the ends of the side walls are sealed to each other throughout a substantial extent to provide projecting end flanges l2, in each of which there may be provided a slot i3 whereby a belt or the like (not shown) may be removably associated with the cushion in order to strap the cushion to the chest or back of the user. A filler tube itl having a valve therein communicates with the interior, the tube being protected by separated corner flaps in the usual manner of such devices. As so far described the article is an inflatable cushion upon which a person may be comfortably seated and which may be used as a life preserver, seat cushion, or so-called water wings.

VIn accordance with my invention I mount upon at least one side wall of the cushion a relatively wide, exible band, preferably formed of resilient material such as rubber or other fabric which may yield to conform to the shape of a persons extremities inserted between the band and the surface of the cushion. The band is preferably of the same width as the cushion at its ends and at a medial portion parallel to the ends, the ends of the band being adhered or otherwise secured throughout to the anges l2 and a narrow medial .portion thereof indicated in dash lines at l5 being secured to the side wall throughout whereby to provide a pair of transversely extending channels. The channels each open toward at least one end edge of the cushion so that either the feet or the hands of a user may be inserted between the band portions l5 defining the outer wall of the channel and the side wall l l of the cushion upon which the band is mounted. Preferably the channels are open at both ends in order that the extremities of the user may beV inserted from either longitudinal edge of the cushion.

Preferably the edges of the band portions IS extending along one longitudinal edge of the cushion are defined by a pair of relatively wide, shallow reentrant curves Il, and the edges of the band portions i6 defining the opposite ends of the channels are defined by relatively narrow, deep reentrant curves i8. By reversing the relative position of the cushion from that illustrated in Fig. l the feet of relatively small persons may be correctly disposed upon the side wall H. A further purpose in having the reentrant curves of the shape and relative position illustrated is to provide band portions between the closest approaching portions of each pair of curves of such width 'that the toes of the ordinary user when inserted from the side of the shallow curves may at least partially project beyond the deep curves V18, thus providing means for the user to retain the cushion by bending his toes outwardly, particularly when the device is used as a planing float as illustrated in dash lines in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 3 the device is shown in use in full lines as a drag to prevent rapid movement of the swimmer and to anchor his feet in relative immobility while the swimmer is concentrating upon arm movements. In Fig. 4 the device is shown in full ylines as a thrust resistance or drag and anchoring the arms of the user in relative immobility while the swimmer is concentrating upon leg movements. In both figures the device is shown in dash lines in the position of a planing oat enabling relatively rapid progress to be -achieved while anchoring the extremities with which the device is associated.

It is apparent from the foregoing that the extremities of the user may be inserted in the channels as desired and that the wall of the cushion and the retaining band portions will yield to conform to the shape of the users extremities, the material, particularly if a rough surface, frictionally resisting disassociation of the trainer when in use. However, the device may be readily removed when desired.

Having illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention permits of modification in arrangement and detail. I claim as my invention all such modications as come within the true spirit andV scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A swimming trainer adapted for readily removable association with either the feet or the hands of a swimmer and readily disposable by a swimmer to act either as a planing float or to resist movement through the water dependent upon the relative angular disposition of the trainer to the surface of the water, said trainer comprising a relatively thin, inatable cushion having opposite side walls of relatively large length and width in proportion to the thickness of the cushion, said cushion being formed of flexiblematerial capable of retaining air under pressure, and flexible strap means mounted on at least one of said side walls and forming therewith a pair of channels extending transversely of the side wall, said channels being open toward at least one longitudinal edge of the cushion whereby both feet or both hands of the user may be inserted therein to rest upon the side wall of the cushion with said strap means passing over the backs of the hands or the insteps as the case may be,

2. The construction set forth in claim 1 wherein said strap means .comprises a relatively wide band of resilient material forming the outer wall of each of said channels whereby the extremities of the user may be firmly gripped against the side wall of the cushion while said cushion and said strap means yieldably conform to the shape of the users extremities.

3. The construction set forth in claim 1 wherein said strap means comprises a relatively wide band of resilient material having its ends and a median portion parallel to its ends of substantially the same width as the width of said cushion, the ends and said median portion of said band being secured to the side wall of the cushion from one longitudinal edge to the other longitudinal edge thereof and the remainder of said band being unsecured whereby said channels are opentoward both longitudinal edges of the cushion.

Y longitudinal edge thereof and the remainder of Y said band being unsecured whereby said channels are open toward both longitudinal edges of the cushion, the longitudinal edges of said band being reentrantly curved toward each other be tween the portions thereof attached to the side wall of the cushion.

5. 'I'he construction set forth in claim 1 wherein said strap means comprises a relatively r wide band of resilient material having its ends accesso cushion from one longitudinal edge to the other l' longitudinal edge thereof and the remainder of said band being unsecured whereby said channels are open toward both longitudinal edges of the cushion, the longitudinal edges of said band being reentrantly curved toward each other be- 10 tween the portions thereof attached to the side wall of the cushion, the reentrant curves in one.

6 of such extent that the toes of a user may at least partially project from said channels.

JOHN J. POBOCHENKO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,160,023 White Nov. 9, 1915 1,116,393 Despot Nov. 10, 1914 1,083,595 Crawford Jan. 6, 1914 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 593,763 Germany Mar. 2, 1934 

